From the Inside
by perseverance-n
Summary: Being reborn and remembering a past life is one way to objectify craziness but being reborn with past memories into an anime is insane, especially for Aiko who tries to be a shadow. It seems like there's a story for her in Bleach. Spoilers/some AU/SI-OC.
1. Realization

**A/N:** I don't how to categorize this story. OC or Self-insert.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach or anything related to Bleach. I only own my OC and other original characters.

 **Warning:** Violence, OOC, OCs, written in first person, some AU, harem, and probably some Mary-Sue. Try reading it before judging it.

 _ **Please leave no flames.**_

* * *

It was said that a person's life flashed in his or her eyes before death. That didn't happen to me.

I just remember walking down the same street as I usually did, except it was during the nighttime instead of day, to get home. I wasn't looking behind me as I was too busy looking straight ahead, passing the other homes to get to a white house with a white picket fence while rock music was blaring loudly from my earbuds. Suddenly, I felt a large hand clamped down hard against my mouth and a muscled arm pulled me against a hard chest, causing the earbuds to fall out my ears. Then, the hand let me go and by reflex I gulped a large amount of air into my lungs to let out an ear-piercing scream when something cold tore at my only exposed skin.

Something warm trickled down my neck, soaking my black jacket and the white shirt underneath.

I collapsed on the sidewalk, choking. A streetlight was my only source of light as a blurry shadow loomed over me. Silver flashed at me from the figure's hand.

Then, my breathing stopped and everything else went dark.

I didn't know how long I stayed in the dark but it was all I knew. It was my only solace until one day I was blinded by light.

OoO

My father, Hisashi Kaya, drove me to what was going to be our new home, Karakura Town. Honestly, I never heard of a such a city in Japan. Most of the time, we lived in the major cities such as Tokyo or Kyoto but with dad's constant moving around for his building contractor jobs, we never stayed in one place long enough to call it home. Karakura Town was going to be another one of those cities.

In fact, who knew how many places I was going to stay.

It was unlike my previous life when I had only one place to call home, but that was a whole different matter.

"Aiko," my father called to me a million times. "You're going to like your new home."

 _There, he goes, calling another place home_ , I mentally thought. I've been told I looked a lot like my father with midnight hair, wide gray eyes, a small nose and thin lips. The main differences between us were he wore glasses, I didn't and he was quite a cheerful person while I tended to be serious.

I didn't know much about my mother. Dad told me she was loving, beautiful, and intelligent. Any more descriptions about her left him in tears.

"You're going to attend a new school and make new friends," he said while keeping his eyes on the road. "Oh, and you should see the new house I picked. It's a two-story house. Your room will be in the top front. You even get your own bathroom."

"Yipee," I tried to sound cheerful but I failed miserably at it.

"Come on," he said, fleetingly taking his eyes off the road to look at me. "Give the place a chance. You might like it."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "You said that about the other places we stayed at and dad, keep your eyes on the road."

"Oh yeah," he said, turning his attention to what laid out in front of him, then he went back to answering my earlier reply. "I know I said that about the other residences but I have a strong feeling you're going like it here."

I only shook my head at him before I turned to stare out the passenger window. The constant swirl of buildings, houses and stores hurt my eyes that I settled for leaning back against my seat while closing my eyes.

When the car came to a halt, I felt a heavy hand on my shoulder. Instantly, my eyes shot open and I hastily shifted away from the person.

"Honey?" he called me. I blinked my eyes a couple of times before realizing I was still in one piece. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I lied. Apparently, fifteen years of my life passed and I was still jumpy about a simple touch.

Dad didn't look convinced so I strained myself to smile for him.

He was about to open his mouth when he shook his head. One good thing about him, he didn't question me about anything when I was uncomfortable. He would usually let it go and broach the subject when I was ready to talk about it.

Hisashi opened his door, leaving me alone to gain some sense of composure. When I felt calm, I opened the car door, ready to face a new world. The structure was just as he said. It was a two-story faded gray building. There was a rusted metal fence in dire need of a paint job that enclosed a front yard. By the main door, there were three stairs. At the side of the door was a shiny black new mailbox. The sun was peering from the back of the house that I had to shield my face with a hand.

"If you look above the door, those windows are your bedroom windows," he said proudly. "What do you think of our new place?"

Already, I felt like I was in a new prison but I didn't voice my opinion. I simply shrugged my shoulders and passed him while making my way upstairs.

"The key, dad." I held out my hand to him, palm-up, fingers straightened. He pulled it out of his pocket and dropped the keys into my hand.

"Thanks." I opened a storm door to get to the main door. Once, I unlocked it, we both made our way into our new temporary residence. There was a stairwell by the front door that led to the second floor. I could see the hallway followed by two open doorways. The hall curved to a point I couldn't see, which I could imagine was my bedroom.

"Those two rooms will be mine," he pointed out as he stopped to stand beside me. "One will be my office and the other is my bedroom. The other door to your left as you make the turn in the hall is your bedroom."

Quickly, he gave me a tour of the rest of the house. I was astonished to see how spacious it was inside compared to how it looked outside. We had a decent size living room with caramel painted walls, and an open dining room that led to the kitchen painted in a pale yellow. At least we didn't have to repaint the walls. In the back of the house was an extra bathroom for guests. The new house had a better layout than the other places we stayed in.

"Now, what do you think?" Hisashi asked me. He must have seen some type of expression he enjoyed on my face because he was beaming.

To play it cool, I shrugged my shoulders again.

"Aw, I know you like this house, already." He bumped my arm with his elbow. "I can see you're warming up to it." He was wagging his dark eyebrows.

"Dad," I said. Sometimes, I had to wonder who was the grown up and who was the child.

"Aww, don't take away my fun." Since it was just the two of us and I hit my teenage years, my dad and I didn't have the same type of fun like we used to. I liked to think those days were over. Besides, people grew up after a certain point, especially when they had a lot of mental issues. And I had a lot of them.

"Dad, we're going to unpack what we can and then I'm going to figure out what we can have for dinner."

"Alright," he agreed.

We spend the rest of the afternoon unloading the car with boxes of stuff we packed from our old residence. The rest of the items and furniture was going to arrive by truck tomorrow evening. I took all my stuff upstairs in my bedroom. As I put down the boxes, I took the chance to inspect my room. The floor was wooden and creaked under my weight in certain areas. The walls were painted in a light blue. The windows had shutters. Beyond the shutters, was a cream house that looked to be a privately owned medical place. There was a niggling feeling in the back of my mind but I waved a hand over my face.

There was no way I knew the house from across the street. It was already weird that I could distantly recall a past life.

I fished for items the different boxes contained. There wasn't much unpacking for me to since we didn't have furniture as yet. I spread out a sleeping bag, a flashlight and some books for me to read.

As I sat on the sleeping bag, I felt relieved to be alone. I didn't have to smile, to struggle to talk to anyone or listen to what they had to say. I was left alone with my thoughts and only one thought frightened me.

Karakura High School wasn't that far from home. Either I could take a bus or walk there. Most likely, I would walk there. It was suppose to be an average high school with about seven hundred students. The school had a number of clubs from soccer to baseball and kendo. Apparently, Karakura High School was famous for having a strong karate team or so I researched on the internet. I wasn't interested in any activities. I was never good at playing sports. My petite frame, being five feet didn't give me any advantages on the field. I considered myself to be more of a bookworm. I preferred to read books or research new information of interest anytime.

Inhaling a deep breath, I decided to check out the bathroom. Once I reached the other door that adjoined to it, I noticed how small the bathroom was. It took five footsteps in to reach the shower stall. On my left was a small sink with a mirror medicine cabinet. There was a small round window at the top of the wall that had a blurred window pane. It distorted some tree branches outside. I didn't need to put on the light since there was enough sunlight from the window for the bathroom to be visible.

I halted by the mirror, turning to face one of my worst nightmares. Transiently, I found myself staring at my reflection from a mirror to be strange because instead of seeing a human flesh girl staring right back at me, I saw an anime version with an oval shaped face, partially covered with raven bangs, large round pale eyes, a pert nose and thin pink lips. I had long raven hair that fell over my shoulders and back, which greatly contrasted to the whiteness of my skin.

I looked away from the mirror, remembering how long it took me to get use to watching my father's anime face. Sometimes, after waking up from a dream, I had to focus on this cartoonish world and I had to remind myself that this was now my world.

It was just weird.

Which was why I felt like I never belonged here.

I observed that I didn't get along well with people. Any relations I formed didn't last long because I was either constantly moving from place to place or I stayed indoors most of the time. Perhaps, remembering some events from my previous life prevented me from making new friends. Or maybe, I emotionally detached myself from this world. Sometimes I wondered what was my purpose for being here, in which yet I was unsure of what anime setting it was. Most likely, I was a glitch.

Moving away from the bathroom, I went back to the sleeping bag that would be my bed for tonight. I sat down on it and I took one of the books at my side. Without looking at the front cover, I opened a page and tried to read. However, my mind wasn't focused on the words. I thought more about what tomorrow might bring because after all, it was a continuation of me trying to piece a puzzle that I spent my whole life trying to put together; my reason for being in this world.

OoO

The next day felt like forever to come. I barely got a wink of sleep. I could only imagine the dark circles around my eyes and sleeping marks on my face from pressing too hard against the rough fabric of the sleeping bag.

 _Yes, never try sleeping on a hard-wooden creaking floor with a sleeping bag_ , I mentally reminded myself. Usually, it took me a couple of days to settle into a routine in a new place. But this place might be longer. For some strange reason, my senses felt like they were on edge.

I shook my head. Food in my stomach along with my pills would numb my feelings. After all, I had been on meds for as long as I could remember. Having breakfast with my dad was a quiet one since by the time I got downstairs into the kitchen, he was already dressed to go to work. There were a couple of toasts and eggs on a plate for me.

I smiled at him, impressed that he remembered to pack a set of cooking utensils in one box. He was getting better at packing what we would need for moving. I also noticed that he made groceries for him to have made breakfast.

"There's some black coffee in the coffee maker," he suggested. I liked regular coffee in the morning, and by gosh, I really needed coffee this morning.

I thanked him as I watched him bustled about in the kitchen. I helped myself to black coffee, not complaining about weakening it with milk. The stronger the coffee, the more alert I would be.

"Your meds are on the table and I should try to be back by noon. The truck should stop by with our things."

I nodded my head, glad that he took charge. Most of the time he was too busy with work than to be at home.

"Have a good day and let me know how your first day at school goes." He wagged his eyebrows before placing a copy of the keys for the front door on the table by my plate of warm food. Yep, my father was quite productive this morning.

He headed out of our new residence, leaving me alone. I pulled out a few toiletries and some clothes from the boxes in my room after I finished breakfast. Quickly, I did my morning rituals, grateful for getting use to hot water again. In my old residence, hot water was a luxury. I had only five minutes to enjoy it before it turned cold. Here, in Karakura Town, I could enjoy as much of it without having to worry about water shortages.

Maybe this place might not be so bad.

School was going to be beginning soon and I already dreaded the fact that I had to go. I wished I had postponed school for another day but being a reliable person, I told Hisashi that I would start school today. If I could, I tried my best to be a good daughter for him since I caused him so much trouble while growing up. Besides, I learned as long as I did what I had to do, I could do whatever I wanted during my free time, which was mostly reading.

Before exiting the house, I stopped into the kitchen and eyed the medicine bottles. I had yet to take them. Once I took them, the numbness would drift into my limbs making me feel lethargic. I would spend the rest of the day feeling like I was floating along the ocean waves. Again, I shook my head. I had no choice, I needed to take them, especially on my first day of school. I unscrewed the bottles and popped each pill into my mouth and swallowed them dry. I got use to taking them without water. Then, I closed them and made a beeline for my backpack. I already had notebooks and pens and whatever other accessories I would need for the day all set up. I did it at my old residence.

I put on my backpack and locked up the house. The creamy structure from across my new place was the first sight to greet me and again I felt that niggling feeling in the back of my mind. The place should be familiar. I sighed.

 _I'm only imagining things._ I rolled my eyes before walking to school. On my way, I noticed students wore their school uniforms. The boys wore grey trousers, a white shirt and a gray blazer. The girls wore a gray blazer, a white shirt, a red bow tie and a gray short skirt. I didn't like the fact that I had to wear such a short skirt as a uniform to school if it were the uniform for Karakura High School.

The moment I got to the educational institution, I noticed how big the building was. Many of the students made their way into the classes while eyeing my choice of clothes. Since I didn't own a school uniform as yet, I decided to wear a black long sleeved shirt with faded blue boot cut jeans and black sneakers. Apparently, I was fortunate to meet a girl who was kind enough to lend me a pair of white slippers that students wore in the school building. I smiled at her and then followed her directions into the main office.

I took a deep breath before walking in. Inside, the office was brightly lit. It was small, packed with desks, rolling chairs, computers, stacks of folders, a large gray commercial carpet was centered in the room, notices and awards cluttered the walls, with a big clock ticking loudly. There was a black-haired woman wearing metal framed glasses and a white blouse sitting at the front desk. She made feel awkwardly dressed as she raised her head to look at me.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm new."

Her face brightened as her lips stretched into a friendly smile. "Oh, yes I see. You must be Aiko Kaya."

I nodded my head, feeling instantly relieved that I didn't have to do much talking.

She scanned the paperwork on her desk until she found a small paper. She handed it to me. "This is your schedule for today and I will call a student over to escort you to your class."

Again, I nodded my head. Then, she motioned for me to take a seat in one of the chairs behind an empty desk while I waited for a student to greet me. The sound of the ticking clock, typing and whispering filled the air.

Finally, what felt like an eternity, a girl with average height, black short hair, and wearing the school uniform met me. I stood up while she introduced herself to me. "Hello, I'm Tatsuki Arisawa."

Why did that name have a ring to it?

I bowed to her like she did to me. "My name is Aiko Kaya. It's nice to meet you."

The girl's face contorted into a friendly expression as I straightened up. She led me away from the office and quickly showed me the important parts of the school such as the gym, the yard, the bathrooms, some areas for the extra-curricular activities, the cafeteria, the library and some of my classes.

"Are you sure you're not missing class?" I asked her as she guided me to my on-going class.

"I'm good. Besides, I don't want to spend the next fifteen minutes zoning out. Some teachers can be a bore. And on top of that it's not every day we get a new student."

I laughed. "I know what you mean but I play the new student well since I tend to be a new student a lot."

"So you move around a lot?"

"Yeah." Instantly, I didn't add any more information. I already gave away too much and I just met this girl.

As if she got the hint, she diverted the topic. "There was another new student before you. She transferred here a couple of days ago."

I raised my eyebrows. "Really?"

"Yes, but coming to think about it, she knows a friend of mine." She put a hand under her chin as if in deep thought. Then, she turned to look at me. "Do you know anyone in this school?"

What a strange question to ask but I didn't voice my opinion. Instead, I shook my head.

"Sorry for being rude. I just thought that if a friend knows something, he or she will tell."

"Maybe some people keep things to themselves," I accidently blurted out and I covered my mouth.

The girl eyed me weirdly and it was my turn to apologize.

The female student waved it off. There was a moment of silence until she stopped by my class. "I wish I can wear what you're wearing. At least you can be comfortable."

"But I might be catching everyone's eyes with this attire compare to yours."

She hid her mirth behind her hand while her brown eyes sparkled. "Yeah, you're right about that."

"Honestly, I don't want to be the center of attention." Why did I confess that?

"Well, you'll be the topic of the day since you're new."

Inwardly, I groaned.

"Perhaps, if you're looking for an escape route, you can join my friend and I for lunch later."

My lips stretched into a grin. "Yeah, I'll like that. Thanks."

"Anytime. Good luck." She waved at me and then swiveled on her feet.

I would definitely be needing good luck. My hand stopped at the door as I thought about skipping this period and waiting for the next one but then I realized I didn't want to make a bad first impression. I slid the door open to have everyone's eyes pinned on me. My cheeks heated up as I stumbled on my way to the teacher standing in front of the class. Worse, he made say my name out loud. I lowered my head when he directed me to sit in the back. Tensely, I walked to my chair when in my peripheral vision, I could have sworn I saw dishevel orange hair. Normally, I was accustomed to seeing black, red and brown haired people but not a person with orange hair. I didn't have time to let my mind wander. I just sat down and drowned out the rest of the lesson.

It was during lunch break when I learned that students could eat their lunch anywhere. Instead of taking the nice girl's offer to sit with her and her friend, I decided to sit at a private place outside, which happened to be under a tree. I didn't pack lunch since my kitchen wasn't fully operational so I stuck with munching a protein bar.

And that was when I heard a strange inhuman cry shrilling the air. My hand froze, my mouth stopped on mid-bite of the chocolatey nut flavor. Again, the sound intensified and I found my hand began to tremble.

I grabbed my shaking arm with my other hand and slowly brought the appendage down to rest on my lap. Quickly, my eyes darted to the students enjoying their lunch around me. It seemed that none of them appeared fazed by the bizarre sound.

Was it my imagination?

Maybe the meds' effect was wearing off.

I opted to think it was my imagination. _Gosh, I'm becoming paranoid!_ I went back to munching on my bar but I did it methodically instead of out of hunger. _Bite. Chew. Swallow. Bite. Chew._

Another inhuman shriek and the bar slipped from my fingers to fall on the grass beneath me. My chewing stilled. Two figures: one tall and the other one short were running toward me. The small figure who was running in front, had short dark hair curled at her chin. Her eyes as dark as her hair were focused on a screen of a flip phone. Her gray short skirt swayed around her slim legs as she kept moving closer to me. The other person behind her was a tall male. His orange spiky hair was what drew my eyes. I knew some anime where the males had odd color hair but this one was hitting close to home and yet I couldn't name the person. The figures were getting closer to me, only their eyes were not seeing me. They were looking beyond me.

"We have to hurry!" the female yelled to her companion. "The creature is getting closer to the school!"

"I'm right behind you!" A masculine voice shouted back.

They dashed by me and time seemed to slow down. An orange haired guy dressed in black traditional Japanese clothing, now that I could view without the girl blocking him, followed the female. A hilt to a large sword bounced behind him with the impact of his weird sandaled feet hitting the ground. No one else glanced in their direction. Then as if the guy sensed my stare, he angled his head toward me. Our eyes met and a breath hitched in my throat. My heart pounded loudly in my ears as blood flowed faster through my veins.

There was no way my eyes or mind could be playing tricks on me. The niggling feeling returned tenth fold and suddenly everything became clear as day. I knew where I was.

I was the first one to shift my eyes away from him.

"Come on, Ichigo! We need to hurry!" the dark-haired girl called to him.

"I'm coming!" he barked. He kept sprinting after her, his interest in me waning. The monster's cry pierced the still air, making the birds flap their wings in the distance. I heard a tree crashing into the earth from somewhere behind me. This time, the students stopped enjoying their lunch as they whipped their heads towards the disturbing noise.

Instantly, they were on their feet, shuffling away from the disturbance while my limbs remained immobile. I kept a fixed stare on the patch of grass in front of me.

My hands clenched into fists until my knuckles turned white.

 _One, two. And three._ Three pieces of the puzzle came together.

 _Ichigo Kurosaki. And Bleach._

* * *

 **A/N:** Before leaving a review -or you deciding to continue to read this fanfic- I'll try to explain what I can. This fanfic is a writer's challenge to add some impossibles. Like one, Aiko has no relations with the characters from Bleach whereas self-inserts have some type of connection -or at least that's what I gather from fanfics on this site. There may be room for more than one love interest in Aiko's case, can you blame me? There are a lot of hot guys in Bleach. And possibly, she becomes a strong character -that's the main challenge. I'll try my best with writing this story.

Now, if you'll like, please leave a review. Thanks.


	2. Awareness

The rest of the day went by in a blur. The commotion around school caused the teachers and principal to assess the damage and postpone classes until the next day. I was grateful since I didn't want to deal with the rest of the day being a new student.

By the time I got home, dad was already in the kitchen preparing an early dinner. We might as well stuff ourselves since we would spend the rest of evening moving furniture and personal belongings in our new residence. Hisashi made chicken sandwiches and included a small salad on the side. I had taken off my shoes and placed my backpack in the corner of the living room.

"Hey dad," I greeted as I entered the kitchen.

"Oh, there's my girl! Grab a sandwich and your salad," he directed me.

Quickly, I washed my hands before grabbing a sandwich. It was weird how we had a table but we didn't have chairs to go with it so we just leaned against the counter while quietly eating our sandwiches. When Hisashi finished his sandwich, he filled two glasses with water and put one by me. While chewing, I nodded gratefully at his small gesture.

"So, how was your first day at school?" he asked as he raised his black eyebrows.

What a way to ruin the good mood.

I slightly coughed until the point that Hisashi worried about me and reached for my glass of water. He switched my half-eaten sandwich with the glass and anxiously waited for me to drink it. I would have laughed at his overactive gesture if it weren't for the genuine concern evident in his dark eyes.

Once my throat was cleared, I put down my glass on the counter next to the plate of sandwiches. My bitten sandwich was amongst them. I cleared my throat. "Fine," I simply answered him but it sounded weak.

Returning to normal, he just stared at me. "Fine," he said after a long pause.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "Yep," I said with a forced smile.

He put a hand to his forehead in a dramatic motion. "Why don't I believe you?"

"How many things do you believe me about?" I muttered under my breath.

"Hey, I heard that young lady," he replied with what would have been a stern voice if he wasn't pointing a finger comically at me. He was really trying his hardest to lighten the situation or at least trying to make me talk.

"At least did you make any new friends?"

I stilled, remembering how I ate lunch alone and then the incident happened.

From my reaction, he could have guessed the outcome. "So you didn't have a good first day, I take it?"

"Besides, the incident, there was a nice girl who gave me a tour around Karakura High School." I tried to appease to his good nature and then I realized what I said.

"Incident?" It was strange how Hisashi's mood could change from goofiness to grim, almost as fast as lightening.

"Well, uh…." I glanced down at my socked clad feet against the kitchen tiled floor, finding it more interesting than looking at my dad.

"Aiko, what happened?" He wasn't in the mood to beat around the bush.

I shrugged while I answered, "I don't know."

"Aiko, look at me," he commanded, noticing that I didn't look him in the eye.

Slowly, I lifted my head until I was staring at him.

"What happened?" he iterated.

"Honestly, I don't know." There were some falling trees and a building or two got damaged. I didn't care to inspect the situation like the other students when the danger was over. I hurried to a poster with a list of names from our class until I found the name I was looking for, Ichigo Kurosaki.

"You tell me something happened at school and you have no clue what it is?"

I exhaled a breath. "The teachers believed there was another small earthquake by the school with only just minimum damage on school property."

Hisashi folded his arms across his chest. Dressed in his casual clothing, he looked more imposing. "That doesn't sound like a small incident, Aiko."

"I know," I agreed. "Classes were canceled until tomorrow so we spend the rest of the day going through counseling."

He gave me one of those looks: are you serious?

I shrugged again. "Apparently, there are some really sensitive people attending Karakura High School." And perhaps there would be more dangerous occurrences since Rukia and Ichigo formed a team to take out Hollows. With Ichigo's spiritual energy released like a faucet on full blast, there were going to be a lot of Hollows attracted to Karakura Town.

"I don't know what to say about that." And my dad didn't need to because once upon a time I used to be a sensitive person.

"By the way, dad…." I hesitated to continue. I bit my lip as he turned serious eyes on me.

"What's the matter, honey?" He came closer to me and bent down to see my face. Hisashi was tall, nearing five feet-ten inches and it was weird how I stopped growing at just five feet. I had to tilt back my head every time I talked to him, whether we were sitting or standing.

"Umm… I was wondering…." Again, I let the words tumbled out of my mouth without finishing my sentence.

"Seriously, Aiko, what's wrong?"

I took a deep breath before mustering the courage to say what needed to be said. "I need to increase my dosage on my meds."

There, I said it.

My father scrunched up his face. His eyebrows connected together while there were lines on his forehead. Normally, I would remark how his age was showing on his countenance but I thought better of it.

"Why?" he questioned.

Talking about my prescriptions was a convoluted topic since it brought back many painful memories. Many of those recollections had to deal with the fact that I had to cope living in this animated world. And then there were the strange voices and the gruesome figures that haunted me. The pills made them disappear. But if I was in Bleach's world, I needed to increase my dosage so I wouldn't have to see any spirits.

"I heard it…."

He raised a hand into the air to stop me from explaining any further. He nodded, comprehending my request. "There is a clinic across the street with Doctor Kurosaki. I heard he's quite a good and reliable doctor from the guys at work."

 _Anything but Ichigo's father, wait._ "Did you say the clinic's doctor is name Dr. Kurosaki?"

"Yeah, why?" He gave me one of those skeptical looks. I smacked my forehead, knowing that the clinic should have been obvious. We lived across from the Kurosaki family.

I could feel my father's intense stare on me and I realized that I had to divert his attention before he got suspicious. I couldn't exactly confess to him that Bleach was an anime I knew from my previous life and I had knowledge of what was to come in this world. "You moved to live in front of a clinic."

"Well, if anything happens in case of an emergency, there is Kurosaki's clinic," he defended lamely.

"Really dad?" I shook my head in disbelief. One, I planned on keeping a low profile and yet the main characters were living across the street from me. And two, of all places for my father to pick, he moved me into a troublesome place. Did he think I was going to suddenly get sick? I had mental issues, not physical health issues.

I clenched my hands into fists at my sides while I internally counted. _One, two, and three._

"Honey, this is not something you should get upset about?"

"Easier for you to say." I stomped my foot before tilting my head back to briefly look at the ceiling. From Hisashi's position, he would think I was getting answers from an unknown source because to him I was considered to be more intelligent than the average fifteen-year-old girl. In a way, he was right. I had lived to my second year in college until I was murdered one night while walking home. "You know what, you're right. Let's go later and get the dosage I need from Dr. Kurosaki." It sounded weird that I was calling a childish person doctor.

He appeared pleased with a big silly grin on his face. A major problem I had with my dad was I couldn't stay upset at him for long. He was just doing his duty as a father, trying his best to look after his daughter for a single parent.

With everything settled, I went back to eating my sandwich while dad planned on where the furniture was going to be placed in each room.

OoO

When the delivery truck arrived, Hisashi spend a good amount of time directing where the furniture would go. All the living room, dining room and kitchen furniture was located in the back of the truck. The stuff up front were for the bedrooms. Once my bedroom furniture was set, I slipped into an unpacking routine. I concentrated on organizing my room while my father dealt with the movers.

The moment the sun retired for the day, I heard a knock on my door. Turning to see who it was, I saw Hisashi standing at the threshold. His arms were folded across his chest.

"Are you ready?" he questioned me.

"Ready for what?" I was in the midst of putting books on a bookshelf.

"Remember, we have to go to the clinic?" he reminded me.

I wanted to smack a pillow against my face. I really did need the new prescriptions but to face Ichigo's father wasn't something I was mentally prepared for.

"Can't we go another day?" I lamely asked him.

He uncrossed his arms while walking into my room. "You were the one who requested for a new prescription."

"Actually…." I bit my lip, uncertain if I should continue my sentence.

"Don't tell me." He already knew my train of thought. He fixed the spectacles on his face with a pointer finger, meaning his mood was changing into an earnest one. "This is all the more reason we should go to the clinic."

"Yeah, but is it open? It's pretty late." I gestured to the open blinds displaying street lights now emitting light. It was dark outside and I highly doubted that Kurosaki's clinic was going to be open unless there was some emergency. Hopefully, Ichigo's father was away for one of his meetings.

"I saw Dr. Kurosaki when the movers arrived and he said to drop on by without an appointment. He will like to meet you."

I so badly wanted to face palm but instead I stuck with agreeing with him. So much for my plan to keep a low profile.

As Hisashi left my room, I grabbed whatever I might need to bring with me to the clinic, which consisted of a book and an identification card from my previous school.

We locked the house and crossed the street to the clinic. From the outside, I saw the bright lights glaring from the windows. Two girls dressed in a nurse outfit passed by them. I shook my head, wondering how they could wear such outfits. I wouldn't be caught dead wearing one.

The front door opened and automatically, the blond hair girl named Yuzu Kurosaki was the first one to introduced herself. She led us to a waiting room where I had no choice but to sit down while she ushered my father to a desk to ask him questions. Ichigo's other sister, Karin Kurosaki moved from room to room with cloths in her hand. The dark-haired girl turned her head to me for a second before going back to what she was doing. Not once did she smile at me like her sister.

There was a moment of awkward silence before I saw a tall figure accosting me. Instantly, I rose to my feet when short black hair and a long white coat became visible.

"Well, hello," he replied as he stopped in front of me. I didn't realize how tall he was being over six feet. I had to tilt my head all the way back to get a good view of him. Besides being tall, he was muscular and broad shouldered. He had a slight stubble on his wide chin. "You must be Aiko Kaya."

I just nodded my head since words failed me. An actual character from Bleach, once Captain of the tenth division, was standing in front of me. I didn't know how to describe my encounter but seeing him in person was very different from seeing him on television. For one, I had to lift my chin to keep him in my line of sight rather than seeing him from eye level from a camera.

How did Karin beat him up despite their height difference?

He extended his arm, his palm facing up. A clip board with information was put in his waiting hand. He lifted the document up and scanned it. Karin was standing right next to him. It seemed that I missed her appearance when I was too fixated on Dr. Kurosaki.

Sending a nod her way, his dark eyes shifted toward me. "Now, please follow me."

Again, I nodded my head. I followed him while he glanced down at the papers. His body seemed to know the location of the room. He halted by an open door and lifted his eyes to me. "Please, take a seat."

I gulped nervously before looking around me.

"Is something wrong Kaya?" he questioned me.

"My dad, have you seen him?"

The man raised his eyebrows. "He'll wait for you in the waiting room."

"But am I not a minor?"

"Would you feel comfortable answering some personal questions in front of him?"

Instantly, my cheeks heated up as I shook my head.

The man's lips uplifted in a slight smirk. "That's what I thought."

For some reason the level of my discomfort rose. As I slowly walked in a room and sat down on a cot patients usually sat on, he followed me and closed the door behind him. I flinched at the sound.

He must have noticed my reaction because his tone turned soothing. "Don't be nervous. I'm going to check your blood pressure and then ask you a few questions."

I swallowed as he approached me but the uneasiness faded away by the professional look on his face. Throughout the time of checking my blood pressure, flashing a light in front of my eyes, checking my tongue and doing the other checks that doctors did, he didn't make any perverted comments that he usually did to his children. The reason had to do with me being a stranger.

He sat down on one of the stools in the room. His brows furrowed while he squinted down at the papers on the clipboard. "You're fine. There's nothing physically wrong with you, which is why I don't understand the reason you need to increase your dosage on these pills."

 _This is going to be troublesome,_ I thought.

"Physically I'm fine. It's what's going on in here," I pointed to my head with a pointer finger, "that I'm worried about."

He glanced up at me. "But the dose you're asking for is too much. You're five feet tall and you barely weigh ninety-five pounds. This amount will knock you out if it doesn't kill you. Besides, what kind of doctor puts a child on sleeping, anxiety, and preventive hallucination pills?"

My eyes averted from him to my hands that were folded neatly on my lap. "The kind that thinks you're crazy," I muttered under my breath.

"Then these doctors are jokesters or they're probably looking to make money." Apparently, he heard me.

"So you're not going to prescribe the drugs?" I turned my gaze to him.

"Unless you're asking for a death warrant, no," he answered simply. He took a pen and began scribbling words on the paper. Unfortunately, I couldn't read what he wrote since I was seated across from him.

"But I need those pills," I said without thinking.

His hand paused as his dark eyes raised to me. "Why?"

"What?" I blinked at him.

"Why do you think you need the pills?" he iterated.

"Can't you see from the pills that I must have gone through a traumatic experience to need them?"

He stared at me for what seemed like an eternity before his lips formed words. "And what traumatic experience you went through that made the other doctors prescribe this medicine?"

My mouth opened, when I froze. I couldn't tell him the truth, considering he was a former soul reaper. Imagine if I told him I could see dead people. My response could put me on the radar or worse, I would alter the events of Bleach.

To get the prescription I needed, I had to hit the doctor close to home without going into personal details about my mental issues. I pressed my lips together before moistening them. I gave the doctor one of my solemn expressions. "My mom's death. I take them so I don't have to relive it."

Absolute shock printed on Dr. Kurosake's face. I must have reminded him of his son as Ichigo carried the guilt of his mother's death. Without further ado, he went back to writing on the documents. I saw the resignation on his countenance as he stood up. He signed his name on the x. "Here," he said, handing me a small slip of paper. "I'm prescribing a higher dosage, however, if you feel faint, nauseous, abdominal pain or any other symptom come see me immediately."

I nodded my head.

"And make another appointment to see me next week."

"Another appointment?"

"A follow-up."

I would've groaned from his answer but at least I got what I needed. Now, with the higher dosage of pills I wouldn't being seeing Ichigo in his soul reaper form. That also meant that I wouldn't see hollows. And the strange noise wouldn't haunt me….

He cleared his throat after a few seconds. "I heard you're new in this small city."

I tried to smile at him. He was making a small conversation.

"Since you're fifteen, you might be attending Karakura High School. You might have met my son, although he looks nothing like me." A big grin appeared on his face, showing his white teeth.

I did meet Ichigo but through unusual circumstances. I felt kind of bad to have to wipe off Dr. Kurosaki's grin.

"You're son?"

The man's eyebrows touched together. "Yes, Ichigo Kurosaki."

I shook my head while I tried to make my facial expression look thoughtful.

"Orange spiky hair, quite tall and always having a serious look on his face."

I shook my head again, although I do recall seeing orange spiky hair when I went to sit in the back of the class.

"Seriously?"

"Uh… yeah." And then his face deflated from the natural glow. Usually, Dr. Kurosaki attacked his son and acted quite immature with him but I learned he had a lot of pride when he referred to him.

As if on cue, the doctor continued. "He's a good son. He helpful, he looks after his sisters when I can't."

It was true what he said. Ichigo was a good person. Most of the events that took place in Bleach revolved around him, which was why I thought he deserved better after he lost his powers. No matter if he was useful or not, Ichigo's determination to make things right paved the way for change in the Soul Society. How else did he save Rukia without getting penalize for it?

The doctor kept talking about his son until the last part made me flabbergasted.

"My son will make a good husband to any girl, don't you think?"

I turned to look up at him. "I don't think you should mention that randomly to any girls," I tried to admonish him. I could only imagine Ichigo kicking his father. Or worse, Karin punching him.

He blinked his eyes at me, trying to look innocent. It didn't work. "Really?"

I was nuts. There was no way in hell that Dr. Kurosaki wanted to pair me with Ichigo. Plus, there was no way in heck that I wanted to have anything to do with any of the Bleach characters, no matter if they were good looking.

I planned on being a shadow of the events in Bleach. It had no room for a person like me.

Yet why was I in this world to begin with? This question always plagued me. Perhaps, I was granted a second chance to live and like a selfish person, I was going to live for me.

"Yes, really," I answered him back.

Just then Karin barged into the room. "Dad, we need you out here! There has been an accident!" The dark-haired girl didn't need to say anything else. He dashed from the room with her in tow. I sat down in the room, completely forgotten.

It took a moment when I finally exited the room and walked into the waiting room. Hisashi was sitting down while watching the commotion.

"So you can't take that many!" I heard Dr. Kurosaki was shouting. Whatever happened sounded big. "Here's a newsflash, you got to take them somewhere! We can't treat them all here, we're a small clinic! And tell your boss this is a request from Isshin Kurosaki. He will find me some beds that are open, no problem! Just do it!"

I glanced over to my father, motioning that it was time for us to leave. He got up from his seat. I was about to stroll to the exit when I heard a familiar voice.

"Hey dad."

"Damn, stupid idiots! They won't know a stethoscope from a cellphone," the other man murmured.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"No!" I could imagine the orange head feeling like a block. "Assume the fetal position and stay out of the way!"

It was ironic that Dr. Kurosaki was harsh to his son when moments ago he was raving proudly about him. The tall doctor walked out his office. He craned his neck over his shoulder when he saw us. His demeanor changed in an instant to a friendly one.

"Please remember to come back next week for a follow-up," he reminded me.

I didn't dare say a word. Instead, I bobbed my head and let him get into the serious task of doing his job.

It was then Ichigo appeared after him. He was hunched over, his head bent down in dejection. For some reason, I felt sorry for him. As if he sensed me, he lifted his head and brown orbs pinned me to the spot. His eyes widened, probably taking note that he saw me on the school premise earlier.

"I'm sorry." I waved my hands. "My father and I were just leaving."

 _Great! What a way for us to meet_.

"Might you need any help?" my father asked all of a sudden. I wanted to scrunch my face at him.

Ichigo finally found his bearing as he shook his head. "We have enough help at the clinic." Then making small talk while the nurses and Dr. Kurosaki were shuffling from place to place in the distance Ichigo replied, "I've never seen you both before at the clinic or around this area."

"Well," Hisashi scratched the back of his head with one hand. "We're new in this small city. We moved here yesterday."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "Really?" In a sense, he was looking identical to his father.

"Yeah. We moved across the street from this clinic."

 _Why don't you announce it to the world!_ I mentally shouted.

"I'm Hisashi Kaya and this is my daughter Aiko Kaya."

Those eyes shifted to me and I could make out milk chocolate, now that I was closer to him. "Ichigo Kurosaki," he introduced himself. He bowed to us and I returned his gesture. "The doctor of this small clinic is my father. The two nurses helping out are my younger sisters Karin and Yuzu."

"It's nice to have a family clinic," Hisashi complimented.

"Yes, sir." I would have laughed with how proper Ichigo was acting if I didn't want to leave the clinic so badly.

"Dad," I called to him. "I think we had long day."

"Oh, you're right, honey." _He has to call me honey. So troublesome._

"Dad!" Another girlish voice said from the distance. "We have one last patient to treat!"

"Wow, he's as big as they come," Dr. Kurosaki commented. "Ichigo, come here to work!"

"You bet!" the orange head replied eagerly. After all, he wanted to be helpful like his sisters. He bowed to us once more before taking his leave.

"That's quite a nice fellow," my father remarked.

I agreed with him. As we were about to depart, two tall figures became visible from my peripheral vision: the doctor with the lab coat and another masculine male he was holding up. Apparently, the male was injured. I turned my head in their direction when I recognized Chad or Sado Yasutora, Ichigo's friend. He was clearly holding a bird cage in his left hand.

My eyes rounded as I peeked at the bird. There was something abnormal about it, the color and shape surrounding the bird was distorted. Quickly, I averted my attention to the door. I grabbed my father's hand and hastily exited the clinic.

From the scene, I acknowledged where we were -at the very beginning when Ichigo and his friends discovered their powers. Although, I had knowledge what would be in store for Chad and Ichigo, I promised not to interfere.

Another discovery I took note of was the fact that I saw the color of the bird's aura, the misshapen form of a human spirit stuck inside a bird. If I could see spirits, the meds I was taking wasn't working. It was a good thing that Dr. Kurosaki decided to prescribe a higher dosage because I wouldn't be able to detect or see spirits, and that meant I wouldn't have a role in Bleach.

OoO

The next morning I woke up, I felt refreshed. I actually slept in a bed instead of in my sleeping bag. The smell of omelet and sausage filled the air, instantly causing my stomach to make noises. I tossed back the covers and went into the bathroom to do my morning ritual. Again, I dressed in casual clothes as I lacked a school uniform. By the time I made my way downstairs, dad was already dressed for work. He was sipping a mug of hot coffee.

"Again, you make breakfast," I greeted him.

"What are you trying to say? I'm irresponsible?" he retorted.

"No." A bubble of laughter escaped me, which startled the both of us. My chest felt lighter, like I was in a giddy mood. I hadn't felt this stir of emotion for a long time.

As if reading my thoughts, Hisashi put objects on the table. From the jiggling sound, I confirmed they were my new pills. "Take them and stay home from school today."

I blinked at him. "You've got to be kidding, right?"

"You're taking new meds and we don't know how you'll react. Stay home," he ordered. Hisashi was correct. My reaction to new meds wasn't pleasant. Even if I attended school, I would have to come home anyway.

"So troublesome," I sighed.

Apparently, he accepted my response as he went back to his easy-going self. "I will call the school on my way to work to inform them of your absence."

"Got it," I saluted.

He finished his coffee and placed the empty cup in the sink. He grabbed his case and a sweater before exiting the house. I locked the door the moment he disappeared into his gray car. I went into the kitchen and ate my breakfast in piece. I was about to place the dishes into the sink and take my meds when I felt a chill went down my spine. The hair at the nape of my neck stood up.

A voice that reminded me of an icy breeze spoke to me. "Don't take the pills."

I staggered back from the sink. The plate and fork fell from my fingers to crash with the other dishes. Distantly in my mind, I hoped that none of the dishes broke in the sink.

"Don't take the pills," the mysterious voice iterated.

My rear hit the kitchen table while I warily whipped my head to the side. Swallowing heavily, I tried to ignore the bitter taste of confusion and fear, I looked to the right.

And saw a spirit.

A spirit dressed in black, which greatly contrasted from his skin- a chalky white. His arm raised, his finger pointing.

Mouth dry, stomach heaving, my elbows clumsily braced the table for support.

Bile rose thick and fast. I spun away, not wanting to lose breakfast over the things that I tried to ignore.

"Don't take the pills."

When there was nothing but dry heaves left, I wiped a shaky hand across my mouth, then took a deep breath and turned to face the spirit. Only nothing was there.

I spun to the table and hastily opened the bottle of pills, placing each one in my hand and swiping them into my mouth. I swallowed them dry.

"Don't…" the voice started to ebb away.

Triumph washed over me. I stumbled back to the sink to sigh in relief as the dishes weren't shattered. Clumsily, I walked over to the windows in the living room and looked outside. The sun was already high in the sky. There was hardly anyone out on the street except for a dark-haired girl who seemed to be slumped over. She was constantly wiping her face.

"Karin," I whispered. Ichigo's little sister rarely cried. She was one not to display emotions, except concern over Ichigo's safety.

Before I knew what I was doing, I rushed outside and across the street to the little girl.

"Karin," I called to her.

She raised her raven head and futilely rubbed at her watery eyes. When a person didn't cry for a long time they wept a stream of tears.

"Do you want to come inside?" I raised my hand in the air, waiting for her to take it.

She watched the appendage for awhile. Just as I was about to pull back, she put her hand in mine and rose to her feet. Together, we walked back to my house. I closed the door.

"You can take a seat in the kitchen," I directed her. She was in the midst of taking off her shoes. "It's through the living room."

In the kitchen, she sat down with her carefully guarded eyes watching my every move. I didn't mind as I was a complete stranger to her. I busied myself with making tea. The moment the water was hot, I threw a tea bag in the cup along with extra sugar. I made my one the same way before placing both cups on the table.

"Drink the tea. It will help you calm down," I instructed her.

She eyed me warily before exhaling a breath. Slowly, she lifted the tea to her lips and blew gently at the content. Then she sipped it. Automatically, her eyes rounded as she peeped at me under her bangs.

"I know," I said as I sipped at my own tea. The sweet soothing liquid went down my throat. My lips parted. "When I'm sad or startled, a cup of sweet chamomile tea does the trick." It really did. It was an answer to calm down one's nerves, especially after seeing a ghost. Karin must have felt the boy's feelings, the same one who was trapped in the cockatiel.

"You aren't in school?" she said after a long pause.

"You're not in school either," I retorted. I sipped my tea, my fingers enjoying the warmth against the surface of the cup.

"I'm not feeling well."

"Me neither."

We both stayed silent while finishing the rest of our tea. When she was done, she put down the empty mug on the table.

I put mine down as well.

She pushed her chair back to motion she was going to leave. She opened her mouth and then thought better of it.

"Everything will be fine," I said with my lips stretching across my face.

"How do you know?" she questioned me.

Her worry for her brother's and the spirit's safety was eating at her. She needed reassurance but in the only way I could reveal. "I just know."

"That doesn't mean anything."

"In time, you'll see, Karin."

She narrowed her eyes on me. Perhaps, she didn't like the fact I knew her name.

"By the way, I'm Aiko Kaya, your new neighbor."

"I know." So, I wasn't a complete stranger to her after all.

She stood up and walked through the living room to put on her shoes. Without glancing over her shoulder, she opened the front door and left me. Karin was stubborn and tough. She didn't like to show her emotional side to anyone so I could comprehend her feelings with showing her tears to an outsider.

I knew I shouldn't have helped her. I was selfish and determined not to get involve with Bleach's affairs. But I couldn't watch a crying girl. I wasn't that heartless.

As I re-entered the kitchen to wash the dishes, I went back to where the ghost was standing and pointed my finger in the direction he was showing. Automatically, I noticed I was looking at the living room windows.

My eyes widened. He was trying to convey something.

The only thing that came to mind was Karin was outside. Was the spirit trying to inform me about her? If so, then why?

* * *

 **A/N:** Thanks a bunch for your support! I will like to specially thank the reviewers who took the time to leave a review: _D-D Dreamer, DarkDust27, Timi, Guest,_ and _Howimeturmother._ I appreciate your comments, suggestions and feedback.

My work hours have increased and I have classes, plus I'm working on two other stories. Thus, I'm uncertain about the next update. I do try to keep updating often. If you're curious about my writing progress for any of my stories, you can find out on my profile.

Please leave a review. Reviews are great for encouraging and shaping a story. Thanks.


	3. Sight

Something I learned about the increased dosage on the pills was that it made me drowsy. I missed a couple days of school because of it and when I returned with a letter from my dad explaining my absence, the teachers looked at me with pity.

Worse off, Tatsuki noticed my absence and hailed me out. Fortunately, Orihime Inoue wasn't with her.

"What happened?" Tatsuki questioned but then she halted as she took in my appearance. I was finally dressed in the school uniform -Hisashi was able to get- with the white buttoned up shirt, short gray skirt, and red bow tie. I didn't bother to wear the blazer since it was hot outside. "The school uniform looks good on you."

"Thanks for the compliment," I said with a small smile. I felt good for not sticking out like a sore thumb like my first day of school.

"Your welcome," but then she shook her head. Her dark eyes focused on me as she lowered her tone. "What happened to you? The teachers have been asking about you the past couple of days? Was it the earthquake?"

"No," I answered her. We were on our way to class when I continued with a lame excuse. "I got sick."

"Oh." Her tone lowered as though she wasn't expecting my answer and then suddenly her mood changed. She frowned. In the distance, I saw orange hair heading in our direction. Hoping not to bump into Ichigo, I stepped away from Tatsuki. For once I was glad for being short and having dark hair. I blended in easily with the crowd. Tatsuki seemed to have forgotten me as she began making threats to Ichigo.

"Can you believe that? Our school idol is so amazing! Arisawa is the only one who can stand up to the school bully," I heard one of the school girls whispered.

"Yeah, that orange head guy is so scary. He fights the local gangs every day. The other day he beat up some guys really badly and made them bleed."

"Thugs like him are bad news. I don't know why he doesn't get suspended already."

"He doesn't seem all that bad to me," I found myself intervening between the school girls who were watching Tatsuki and Ichigo ranting away about something. There was another guy standing next to him who appeared uncomfortable. He was shorter than Ichigo with brown hair and brown eyes.

The girls looked at me like I grew horns on my head. "And how do you know, you..." The one who made the first remark glanced at one of her friends. "Do you know her?"

"No." Her friends shook their head.

"Who I am isn't important. I'm just saying you shouldn't judge Kurosaki by appearance alone," I replied seriously.

The girl and her friends folded their arms across their chest. "You act like you know him really well. Perhaps you're his girlfriend?"

Why did I bother trying to talk some sense into these girls? Obviously, they were set in their ways.

I inhaled a deep breath and pinched the skin between my eyebrows.

"That's it, isn't it?" The girl acted like she discovered some juicy gossip.

"This is so troublesome," I remarked. I turned to walk away from them, not bothering to continue our inane conversation when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Her voice was loud enough to draw people's attention.

Calmly, I placed my hand on hers. She slapped at it with her other hand. I craned my neck over my shoulder to give her deadpanned expression. She couldn't seriously be asking for a fight.

"What's going on?" Tatsuki interrupted. For once I felt relieved to have someone's assistance.

The girl and her friends who idolized Tatsuki were suddenly struck speechless. Tatsuki noticed the girl's hand was still on my shoulder and moved it. "You know fights are forbidden in school. You can be suspended or worse, expelled from school."

The school girls dumbly nodded their head. Then, she shifted her attention to me. "The same goes for you even though you are new to this school."

I nodded too, knowing that she was judging the situation fairly. There was no way the girls could spread a rumor about Tatsuki taking sides.

"Okay, then. Let me show you to your class." I already knew the location of my class but I assumed she had a reason for wanting to take me to it.

The moment Tatsuki and I created a large distance from the school girls, the students went back to attending class.

"Do you want to tell me what's that all about?" she asked.

"Not really." I rather not have to explain myself if I didn't know what caused me to react the way I did with those school girls.

Tatsuki grabbed my arm, preventing me from walking further to class. "I appreciate you defending Ichigo. He's misunderstood and he had a tough life."

I remained silent as I lowered my head. My long hair shielded most of my face.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is thank you."

"Yeah, thanks," another voice, a male's one to be precise intruded our talk.

My head whipped to the side and I saw Ichigo Kurosaki yet again standing next to us. His normal scold was gone as he rubbed the back of his ruffled pale hair with one large hand. A half smile formed on his thin lips.

Tatsuki gawked at him. Apparently, she was astonished that he and I knew each other.

"Wait, you're already acquainted with this beautiful girl?" the other school boy pitched in. There was a look of despair on his face.

Instantly, Ichigo whirled around, grabbed his friend's collar and began shaking him. "It's not what your perverted mind is thinking!"

"Let me go!" the brunette wailed. Tears streamed down his eyes when the orange head did let him go. "Why do you always treat me like this?"

"Why do you always make the wrong assumptions?" Ichigo returned. Soon, they were bickering like children.

It was Tatsuki's turn to shake her head. "You see, Aiko. This is what I have to deal with every day."

I only used one word to describe the pair. "Troublesome."

The dark-haired girl agreed before she began to head to class and I followed beside her, contented to leave the noisy males to solve their issues.

OoO

The rumor about the incident with the girls spread through the school like a wildfire. I became the focal point once again, which made me uncomfortable. A whole bunch of girls surrounded me during classroom break and bombarded me with a whole bunch of questions.

Tatsuki, once again, saved me. "Let's give her a chance to settle down. Remember, she's new to our school."

"Well, as long as she's okay," an orange haired girl, a darker shade than Ichigo's hair replied. There was a look of uncertainty on her pretty face as she clutched both hands to her chest. Immediately, I recognized her as Orihime, Tatsuki's best friend.

"Yeah. I hope those girls weren't mean to you. If you're troubled, you can always come to me for help," another girl with spectacles and short red hair that reminded me of the color of cherries said. I couldn't recall her name but she greatly admired Orihime.

"I'm fine but thanks for being concerned," I said I as I tried to sound polite.

"Anytime," she responded before slightly hitting me on my shoulder.

"Shucks! I was so rude! I forgot to introduce you to my friends!" Tatsuki suddenly exclaimed.

"It's okay." I glanced around me to see a few other stares of the guys on the girls and me.

Tatsuki, remaining oblivious, introduced me to a few dark-haired girls and mainly to Orihime and Chizuru Honsho. They would be the ones to later play important roles in the Karakura Town. However, Orihime would become an essential ally to Ichigo since she possessed the ability to heal.

Just then, another orange head popped into the class but it came from the classroom window instead of by the door. Instantly, everyone's eyes shifted to Ichigo Kurosaki. He bragged about jumping to the classroom window from the yard. Tatsuki and most of the others denied his claim. Silently, I got up from my seat and went to the front of the class.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the Ichigo standing on the window sill wasn't Ichigo Kurosaki.

The fake made his move. He singled out Orihime and did something the real Ichigo would never do. He flirted with her.

All the girls began riling up in the class. Even Tatsuki was taken back by his flirtatious comment to her but that didn't stop her as she pushed back the fake against a desk. I already made my way to the door, about to exit the loud room when someone opened the door.

"Stop right there!" A feminine voice yelled out. "It's over."

The fake Ichigo was shocked to be discovered by none other than Rukia. Quickly, he changed direction and was running toward the window.

"Ichigo, look out!" To the students in the classroom, she was shouting not to exit through the window. However, she was calling to the real Ichigo.

The phony stopped dead in his tracks. A look of horror spread across his face as another Ichigo stepped through the window, only he was garbed in traditional Japanese clothes like the first time I saw him.

I stepped back against the wall, implanting myself in place as dread filled within me. How was I able to see Ichigo in his soul reaper form?

My hands raised to my eyes as I rubbed at them with disbelief. The meds I was on should have taken away my ability to see spirits yet I was clearly witnessing Ichigo confronting his fake self.

A fight erupted in the class and the Ichigo in his soul reaper form was getting his butt kicked. The phony kicked him hard until Ichigo was thrown back into the room, crashing into the desks and chairs on his way. The whole classroom became a mess as students asked questions.

I clenched my hands into fists while I bit down hard enough on my bottom lip to taste blood. I had to exit the classroom before anyone noticed, especially Orihime since she had the ability to see the real Ichigo.

My eyes darted to where she stood at the other end of the classroom. She was the only one looking at the other side of classroom while everyone else were staring all around the room. It was clear that Orihime was staring at the soul reaper Ichigo. Then, my gaze darted to the window as the fake Ichigo jumped out it. Ruki was fixated on him. This time I didn't hesitate to leave the room when she ran to the window. The real Ichigo dashed to her side.

I ran down the hallway to the point I reached outside before I collapsed onto the floor from exhaustion. I was panting for air as the blue sky filled my vision. The same question returned to me with a vengeance. How was I able to see a soul reaper Ichigo?

OoO

The moment I got home, I was greeted by a rare sight of my father being home early from work. He was lounging comfortably on the couch while watching television.

"Hey, you're back early from school," he greeted me. He didn't to turn around on the couch so I could get a look at him. Most likely, he had a rough day since his job consisted of hard labor.

"Hey," I lazily returned his greeting. I removed the shoes on my feet and took off my backpack. Instead of heading to my bedroom as I usually do, I went to sit next to him on the couch.

"How was school today? Hopefully, there wasn't another incident," he said with concern etching in his tone.

"Okay, and nothing happened," I half answered his questions. I was extremely tired and my head hurt from trying to think of possible reasons I could see Ichigo's spirit.

Finally, Hisashi diverted his attention from the television to me. His face was stern. "What happened, Aiko?"

I leaned my head on one of the soft pillows on the couch before closing my eyes. I pinched the skin between my eyebrows to center myself.

"Aiko?"

"I don't think the pills are working." I told him the truth.

I waited for his reaction but there were moments when my father could remain expressionless. This was one of them. The silence between us became unbearable and I breathed in the word, "Troublesome." It seemed to be my favorite word to simply describe everything.

"We can't increase the dosage," he said while fixing the glasses on his face. "And you need your meds."

"The pills make me tired all the time," I commented. Even now, I could feel the ache in my arms and legs from the little sprint I did at school.

"Are you still hearing them?" He wasn't referring to the regular spirits but the scarier ones that haunted me as a child.

I closed my eyes and exhaled a breath. At least I didn't have black eye sockets in front of me. "No."

His tone changed into a cheery one. "Then, there's nothing to worry about."

My eyes opened and I turned to seriously look at him while still keeping my head on the pillow. "Are you sure?"

His gaze was on the TV but I knew he wasn't really paying attention to the show. "If you're not seeing the little demons then you're going to be okay."

"Hmmm..." He actually called the bad spirits by name, which sent chills up my spine. He must have guessed my facial expression. "If anything happens, we'll be out this city."

It was our main reason for moving to Karakura Town. We had been on the run since I could remember from the little demons who disguised themselves as children. When I attended therapy, and described to the doctors that little demons were outside the window calling to me, they labeled me as a patient with an overactive imagination. And then one day, one of the nurses walked in on me almost falling out a window and then I got labeled as psychosis but behind my back I heard them call me crazy.

The doctors feared that I would harm myself and Hisashi dreaded losing me so he experimented with different pills that could suppress my ability of seeing spirits and had doctors prescribed them. As an extra precaution, we moved to different places.

"But, I will like it if we can stay here," he revealed to me.

I blinked my eyes. "Why?"

"This place is special, Aiko."

"Special, how?"

"One of my sources told me this is where we can find answers."

I blinked at him again. It was unlike Hisashi to explain anything to me. Most of the time he kept information to himself.

"Answers. Hmmm..." I was beginning to understand why he would think Karakura Town had answers. The small city was the center fold for all the supernatural activity. "So instead of running you want me to face it?"

"No." He turned his head to look at me. The smile was gone from his face and I was greeted by the blinding light of his spectacles. "I want to see if you can find out more information about what those little demons are. As of right now, we are running on theories."

"And who exactly will have answers?" I questioned him. I couldn't give away that I knew the people and the events that would take place in this city.

"I heard about a place, a store to be exact called Urahara Shop."

My eyes widened at the name of the store. How did he find out about it quickly?

"I'm going to visit it one weekend."

"Seriously, you can't be doing all of this for the sake of my, well, whatever you want to call it?"

He let out air while facing the TV again. "Aiko..."

"No, I want to live a normal," I demanded. Now, I was sounding like a childish person but after dying in my previous life, I realized there were so many things I wanted to do in my life. The only thing that was hindering me from living a normal one was with my weird ability. I couldn't do the things a teenager my age did like join afterschool activities or visit a museum with friends.

"I know, honey." My father used his smooth talking to appease me. "I'm trying my best to give you one."

Immediately, I shifted my body on the couch. My body protested against the movement but I owed my dad so much. I grabbed his hands with my own, making him look at me. Without wavering my gaze on him, I expressed my gratitude. "Thank you so much for everything."

His lips twisted into a small smile before I let go of his hands. I moved back into my comfortable position. "By the way let's not rush seeking answers to my problems. I'll just cope with the pills."

"All right," he agreed.

"If things get out of control, I'll let you know," I said to him so he wouldn't have to be concerned for me.

"You better."

My lips stretched wide across my face.

There was a moment of quietness between us. Only the people talking on the TV made noise in the living room. Then Hisashi broke the silence. "Oh, I saw Dr. Kurosaki today. He asked for you."

"Yep."

"Well, he told me about his frequent business trips and how he feels uneasy leaving his daughter, Yuzu, by herself. I feel the same way about you being alone when I have to work late so..." Hisashi hesitated to complete his sentence.

"So..."

"I invited her to come to our place anytime."

I exhaled. "Dad?"

"You need friends. I don't like you being by yourself."

"You're not going to say it's unhealthy for me to like to spend time by myself?"

"No, it's just that with friends around, perhaps, those things won't intervene."

"It won't work." I tried my best to suppress the sadness in my tone. "You remember what happened to my last friend?"

Hisashi shut his mouth. There was a good reason for us keeping to ourselves. The people who befriended us had a knack of going missing or worse, being discovered dead.

"We won't stay here long enough to let that happen," my dad promised me. "I know how considerate you are of other people, but look out for yourself too in my absence."

"I got it," I accepted his request. By pushing away others from me, I was trying my best to save their lives. Anyone who hung out with me ended up getting seriously hurt and I felt like I had endured enough pain of losing people. As long as I talked with people to camouflage myself in an environment I was okay.

I wearily got up from my seat to make something to eat for us.

"What you're making for dinner?"

"Do you want a full meal or half course?"

Hisashi spread his arms on the couch cushions. "I don't feel like eating anything full so let's eat a light meal."

"Then sandwiches it's going to be," I responded as I made my way to the kitchen. The rest of the evening passed by in a blur.

OoO

The next day of school, during break, Tatsuki visited our class again. In the anime, she was in the same class as Orihime and Ichigo. It wasn't the case for this world. Everyone was chatting about the yesterday event with Ichigo but it didn't surprise me that they forgot that a fake Ichigo entered and exited the class through the window.

"I hope Ichigo is okay," Tatsuki replied. She, purposefully, made her way to me with Orihime and they both sat around me.

My black eyebrows scrunched together on my face as I wasn't following her story. Rukia used one of her little gadgets to make the classroom forget what really happened yesterday to Ichigo.

Even Orihime frowned since Rukia's gadget didn't work on her as well.

Seeing that Orihime wasn't going to answer, I acted as she usually would, naïve. "How was he acting again?"

The raven-haired girl raised her eyebrows at me. "Seriously, how can you forget what happened to him?"

"Remember? I almost got in trouble yesterday with the girls in the hallway. I was too preoccupied thinking about that," I answered easily while shrugging my shoulders. Orihime gave me a funny look and I hoped she didn't catch on with me knowing more information than usual.

"Oh yeah!" the idol student said. "How could I forget that episode?"

"Probably, because it became second news."

"Yeah, I see," Tatsuki replied and then she began to explain the false memory. "Ichigo wasn't feeling well. All of a sudden, he held his stomach and shouted that he had to use the bathroom. Then he ran out of the room."

Orihime finally caught on. "Yeah, that's so unlike him." Nervously, she laughed at her best friend.

Tatsuki put a hand under chin as if she was speculating something. "I questioned him this morning about it and he and Rukia changed the topic."

The dark orange-haired girl glanced down at her hands, which were folded together on top the desk. There was a flicker of unhappiness in her eyes that Tatsuki missed. The dark orange-haired girl really did care for Ichigo. "It seems like he is very close to Rukia," she voiced her opinion.

"Now that you mention it, I noticed the same thing. I wonder why they always leave together. A lot of students have spotted them alone in the school yard."

I knew there were times Ichigo and Rukia formulated plans in the yard. "Perhaps, they're working on a school project," I guessed.

"Or he knew her before she started school," the school idol suggested. "In fact," she paused to look at me suspiciously. "You knew him too."

I refrained from rolling my eyes. "I live across the street from him."

"Wait, really?" the dark orange-haired girl asked me.

"Yes, and I met him by accident." I passed a hand through my long black hair. From the expressions on their faces I could tell I had to describe more about our first, well, second encounter. I didn't count seeing him in soul reaper form as our official meeting. "I went to the clinic for a check-up when I saw him talking to his sisters and father."

"So, then you know his family?" The raven head questioned me. Why did I feel like I was getting grilled by these two girls for knowing Ichigo?

"I won't say know but I've met them and they seem like nice people."

Just then, Ichigo came into the classroom and my eyes sought him. He was hard to miss with the particular orange color of his hair. No wonder he was picked on by people. He must have felt my stare because his eyes landed on us and he gave us somewhat of a smile before looking elsewhere.

"He doesn't look to be himself," I observed.

Orihime's gaze never faltered on him.

Tatsuki looked down at her watch on her left wrist and slowly got up from her chair. Her movement caught our attention. "I see..." She seemed lost in her thoughts. "He's not in a good mood. He acts like that when he's really tense."

"Tatsuki?" the orange-haired girl questioned her best friend.

"Don't worry. I know the reason why. Tomorrow, he's going to miss school."

I tried to recall the day when I realized what was today. June 16. On June 17, he took the day off from school and with his family, went to visit his mother's grave. He didn't understand that his mother's death was a hollow's doing, so he blamed himself for killing her.

I bowed my head, letting my hair shield my eyes. My chest briefly tingled with pain before I took in a deep breath.

"I better get going. Class is about to start," the school idol said.

Orihime blinked her eyes at her friend. I forced my lips to curl upward. "Okay, I'll see you around."

"Yeah," Orihime agreed with me.

The moment Tatsuki left class, I concentrated on taking out my notebook and textbook. Orihime had moved back to her seat. While sitting at my desk and waiting for the teacher to come into the classroom, I couldn't help the emotions that surged within me. Quickly, I peeked at the orange-haired guy. He was chatting and smiling as normally as he could with his friends but there was tension brimming under the surface of his body. He wasn't okay.

I went right back to opening my notebook and writing my heading on the top of the page. This was the reason I took my meds. Emotions made me act on impulse and my impulse made me reckless. The meds numbed my emotions, helping me to think logically. And yet, knowing how Ichigo felt about his mother, I couldn't help but be sad.

The teacher came in and everyone returned to their seats. As the students took out their notebooks and textbooks, I noticed there were water drops on my paper. Squinting, I placed my pointer finger on one of them and examined the liquid at the tip of it.

"Are you okay, Kaya?" a classmate asked from next to me.

"Uh, yes," I answered while nodding my head.

"Then why are you crying?" My hands landed on my cheeks to feel the girl was right. I pulled my hands back to see they were wet and then she handed me a napkin.

"Thanks." She nodded her head in understanding. She turned her attention on the teacher while I discreetly cleaned my face. For the first time since taking the pills, I was expressing raw emotions.

OoO

I was seeing Ichigo in his soul reaper form.

I was crying despite the pills numbing my emotions.

These things shouldn't be happening while I was on my meds.

I sighed. I was sitting by myself in the classroom. Class was long over and students had gone home. Tonight, my father was working the late shift so I wasn't in a rush to get home. I wanted somewhere to think openly without being compromised. However, the school wasn't the safest place since ghosts tended to linger in local places.

Peering through the classroom window, the sun was disappearing behind buildings. I didn't prefer to travel in the dark since I died in my previous life by walking home alone at midnight. I simply gathered my things and stuffed them in my backpack. I made my way to the lockers where my shoes were stored. As I was replacing the slippers on my feet with sneakers, I noticed there was no other sound than my calm breathing. I frowned, looking down either end of the hallway and the front entrance of the school.

Beyond the glass doors, I didn't see cars driving by or people walking the streets.

Swallowing, my hands began to tremble. I craned my neck over my shoulder to see the hallway and I noticed that a darkness was creeping close to me.

Again, I swallowed as fear tumbled into me.

My head whipped to see in front of me and I shrieked.

There was a bloody and misshapen little girl hovering a few inches away from me.

My mouth became dry, I staggered while trying to retreat.

Bile rose thick and fast. I spun away and ran for all I was worth. My backpack bumped against my back as I pushed the school door open and sped through the streets. Everything around me became a blur.

Finally, I stopped running to catch my breath. While hunched over, I felt chills travel up and down my spine. I raised my head as the hair stood up on edge behind the nape of my neck.

The bloody form of a ghost was no longer standing in front of me. Instead, it was a young girl about Karin's age who stared right back at me. Her long mocha hair fell over her shoulders and disappeared in a navy blue baggy hoodie. She had wide green eyes that reminded me of emeralds. Besides the baggy hoodie, she wore faded blue jeans and black ankle boots. Yet, my eyes did not miss the chain that was hanging on her chest.

"You're a spirit," I stupidly said while blinking my eyes. The fear didn't leave me as she seemed to glide forward.

"You can see me," she whispered.

Slowly, I swallowed to moisten my throat before nodding my head.

She burst into tears and I blinked again, astounded by her behavior.

"Finally, someone can see me," she said in between sobs.

Gradually, the fear dissipated and astonishingly, I closed the gap between us. I seemed to have a weakness for crying children as I disregarded that when I saw the spirit earlier, her body was bloodied and disformed.

"It's going to be okay," I said in a soft tone to soothe her.

As her tears subsided, she wiped away the wetness on her cheeks with the back of her small hands. She looked up at me, making me noticed the difference in our heights, with hope filled eyes. "You can see me," she whispered. "That's all that matters."

* * *

 **A/N:** Hi everyone. Thank you for your support! I've seen the numbers in favorite and follow has increased since my last update and these means a lot to me! Really, it does! Please continue to show your support for this story! I have major writing plans for this fanfiction and I hope put a lot more time and dedication to it, even if I'm swamped with work. Some of you may have noticed that I'm writing this fanfiction according to the dub version of Bleach. I hope you don't mind since when I watched the anime, I've grown fond of the dub version.

Also, I put up this story on Wattpad under my same name _Perseverance-n_. Wattpad is fun because I post images for this story and update my writing progress with readers so if you're on Wattpad, don't forget to add this story to your library. And maybe you can leave a hi too.

Thanks for reading and if you will like, leave a comment to let me know what you think so far.


	4. Lost Soul

"You can see me. That's all that matters."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked the ghostly figure, only she wasn't paying attention to me anymore. She lifted her head, her watery eyes darting nervously around us.

I took in our surroundings, realizing I was in a remote place.

"Do you know anywhere safe enough for us to talk?" I was thinking the school when she continued. "They can find us here."

"Who?" I questioned, a sense of wariness began to creep up on me.

"Those bad spirits, the ones that eat souls."

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Hollows I could deal with. The other nasty spirits that looked like hollows were the ones to stay away from.

"I know a place," I said, without another thought. "But let's try to figure out where we are."

"I can help with that," the little girl replied. She moved, more like glided ahead of me. And before I knew what I was doing, I was following her all the way back to the school building. Darkness had settled into the sky, making me uncomfortable.

I took lead and walked the familiar blocks before I noticed the clinic ahead of me. Only this night, the lights were off, making the place seem unwelcoming. Ichigo and his family must have left on their family trip already.

"Why are you looking at that building?" the spirit asked me, breaking me from my reverie. Momentarily, I forgot she was with me.

"Nothing," I replied. I didn't answer her question because I didn't feel the need to explain anything to her.

"Oh," was all she said.

I dashed up the stairs of my home and opened the door. The first thing I noted was that dad wasn't home. The lights were off. Switching them on, I took off both my shoes and backpack and set the objects aside. I locked the door after me and made my way into the kitchen, putting on one of the burners on the stove to heat up the kettle. Originally, I would settle for black coffee but I needed time to think and to calm down the edginess I felt from the pricking hairs on my skin.

"Usually, I don't let spirits into the house, but I can't think of another place to safely have a conversation," I told the spirit while getting a cup for myself from one of the cabinets. "And I will offer you some tea but ghosts don't eat and drink things from this world, well, unless you're special."

I turned to her, putting the cup on the table. She already made herself at home as she sat down on the chair from across me. It was weird viewing a ghostly figure acting like a human.

"You can see me," she started saying again.

I blinked at her. Perhaps bringing this girl into my home was a mistake. "Yes."

"You don't get it?" And again, with more tear works, she said, "I've been looking for someone who can see me for a long time."

"How long, exactly?"

The dark-haired girl shook her head. "I don't know."

Well, the first step of helping her was a failure. "Okay, what do you mean no one can see you?"

"No one else can see me until today." Either I was asking some weird questions or I sounded asinine.

I took a seat and covered my eyes with a hand. I sighed and then said the first word that came to mind, "Troublesome."

"I don't mean to be but no one can help me."

That was when I uncovered my eyes and looked at her with a straight face. "That can change. I know someone who can help you."

Her facial features brightened while she sat up on her chair. "You?"

"Not me?" I shook my head. There was no way in chance I was going to get involve with spirits. It was bad enough I let this spirit into my home.

She frowned. "Then who?"

"I know someone, a guy who helps spirits like yourself."

"No!" the spirit instantly denied. "No else can see me."

"He can," I insisted. "His specialty lies with seeing souls like yourself."

The kettle began to whistle and I got up from my chair to take it off. With my back turned to her, I continued talking. "He definitely can help you move on."

"I don't want to move on," she said all of a sudden.

My hand paused on taking the kettle handle. With my back still facing her, I asked, "Why?"

"Because I need to find my mommy."

A scene where Ichigo and a girl with forgotten memories escorting the boy all over Karakura Town to find his mom popped in my mind. Rukia and Ichigo were perfect for helping this little girl.

I reached for the kettle and poured the steaming water into my cup. "That can be arranged."

"You're willing to help me?"

I exhaled as I put the kettle back down on the stove. Really, children had a way of making me feel like I had to be responsible, which was why I avoided them. "He and his special friend will help you."

"No!" she protested. "They can't help me! Only you can because you can see me!"

I swiveled on my feet to see her and I halted in my denial to assist her. Big tears fell down from her green eyes and her face looked so pale. I could feel a dull ache in my chest. "Fine, I'll help you," I muttered.

Her demeanor changed instantly, causing me to blink. Her eyes were still shimmering but there was a big smile on her face. "Thank you!"

And it seemed that I lost words for anything else.

OoO

"This is your room?" the little girl asked. She floated into the center of my bedroom to take everything in.

"It's not much right now, considering I just moved in."

"You're so lucky!" she squealed and then she was lying on my bed. Somehow, I could see the imprint of her frame on the mattress, like if her body was real. "I never had my own room. I had to share one with my little sister."

"You had a sister?"

"Yeah," she answered. "Until dad took her with him when mommy and him divorced."

"And you still didn't get your own room?"

"We were on our way to our new home when..." She sat up on the bed and looked intently into my eyes. All the childishness left her face. "I need to find my mommy."

"Like I said I will help you but there are some conditions." Finally, I felt proud that I could be firm to this little girl without giving into her every whim.

"What kind?" I wasn't expecting her to give in so easily. She seemed different now, very mature for her age.

"Well, the search will have to wait afterschool and you have to agree on meeting the person who I said can help you."

"But you're going to help me too?"

"I am, however, I can't do it alone. I don't know this city well enough."

"Okay, you have a point."

"Good," I said. All the troublesome matters were put aside, I moved to sit on my bed and sat on it cross-legged. "By the way you never told me your name."

"You didn't tell me yours either."

"Kaya Aiko," I replied. "Aiko is my given name and Kaya is my surname."

"Erin," the spirit answered back but she bowed her head and whispered, "I can't remember my surname."

"That's alright." Trying to change the subject I asked, "How old are you?"

"Twelve." I blinked at her. She didn't look like a preteen.

"And you?"

"Fifteen."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, why?"

She laughed. "You look older."

And I shocked myself by laughing back. "I was thinking you look younger."

Then we were both laughing up a storm.

OoO

The next day I sprinted downstairs into the kitchen. Dad had already left to go to work but he left the coffeemaker on to keep the black coffee warm. I smiled at his kind gesture. Quickly, I made myself a buttered toast and shoved it into my mouth. Only when I was reaching for my usual meds, the pills weren't on the table.

My eyebrows tugged together. Hisashi wouldn't move the pills into another location without warning me and I didn't remember taking them in my room. In fact, I didn't take my sleeping pills last night.

At the swift realization, I froze.

My eyes darted all over the kitchen for tell-tale signs of the creatures that haunted me as a child.

"What's wrong?" the girly voice questioned from beside me and I jumped back. I pressed a hand to my chest to calm my racing heart to only see the appendage was shaking.

"I need my pills," I said to her.

"Aren't you too young for medication?" she asked.

"Aren't you too old to judge people?" I quipped.

"I've been told that I'm a lot smarter than a regular person my age."

"No, people were being too kind when they mean you're too much of a smart aleck."

The girl rolled her eyes. "If you can't find them, then go on a day without them."

I let out a long breath while trying to mentally count backwards from ten-to-one. "I can't," I eventually answered her. "There will be some side effects."

"Like your trembling hand," she pointed out.

I nodded my head.

"Then you're going to be fine."

"How do you know that?" I questioned her while turning my head to look at her.

"Take it from a dead person, you're going to be fine."

Not wanting to argue with her further, I glanced down at my wristwatch and my eyes widened. School was about to begin and I was still at home talking to a spirit. I rested my cup of unfinished coffee on the kitchen table and put my plate in the sink. I rushed to put on my shoes and backpack. I sprinted out of the house, locking the door behind me and never once did it register my mind the consequences of not taking my meds

OoO

The day was better. One, everything seemed quieter. There wasn't a commotion involving an orange-haired guy, seeing ghosts, or experiencing earthquakes.

Two, I definitely went unnoticed by people. Without the school idol hanging out with me or Orihime chatting with me during our class break, I was ignored.

And lastly, the day was going by quicker than usual.

But I couldn't stop my eyes from roaming to Ichigo's desk and the thought of how he was coping on the day of his mother's death. I shook my head. There was no way I was going to visit the clinic to check on him. This was his personal day.

I inhaled a deep breath. 'This is what I want,' I told myself. 'I want everything to be normal.'

Yet, why did I feel like something was missing?

I placed a hand over my chest, feeling a sudden fluttering sensation there.

My head moved side-to-side, causing my hair to sway in motion.

"Kaya," the female sitting next to me said my last name.

I turned to her.

"Are you okay?" she asked with concern etched in her tone.

My lips stretched across my face. "Yep."

"Uh, okay," she replied while struggling to return my smile. Yep, she was having a hard time believing me.

Her thoughts didn't matter. I wanted to revel being alone. Finally, I didn't have to worry about anyone else.

I sighed, returning to taking notes while the teacher was showing us how to solve a math problem on the board. By the time school finished, I gathered my belongings, stuffing them into my bag and headed straight for the school's exit.

"You didn't forget, right?" a girly voice popped out of nowhere.

I froze, the backpack falling from my hand. A couple students passing by me gave me awkward looks. I canceled them out by shutting my eyes and mentally counting backwards. "10, 9, 8, 7... By the time I got to one, my eyes drifted open and the spirit from yesterday was floating in front of me.

A few other students passed by me and they appeared unruffled by the transparent figure floating in front of me. "You did forget." She sounded forlorn.

"No," I said, hoping not to see her teary expression. "I just thought to take a quick trip home and make something to eat."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "You did forget."

I exhaled a breath. "Okay," I confessed.

"I knew it!"

"But now you reminded me, we better get started with our search."

I picked up my bag and made my way to the front doors of the school when I paused. "Aren't you coming?" I called to her. It was then I noticed the funny expressions on the students' faces and I realized from their perspective that I looked to be a crazy girl talking to herself. Not bothering to glance over my shoulder at the girl, I kept walking until I found myself trailing a way home.

After a while, she floated alongside me. Her chain made some rattling noises, reminding me that she was a soul that Ichigo could help.

I stopped and dragged a deep breath into my lungs. "Seriously, let me tell the person I know who can help you."

"Okay," she said, agreeing too easily.

"So where do we start?" I asked her while stopping in the middle of the street.

"I don't know," she answered.

My shoulders hunched over. Leave it to two girls to do a task they didn't know what they were doing.

"Troublesome," I breathed.

"Why do you say that word?" she questioned me.

I closed my eyes and inhaled a deep breath. "It's just an easy word to express what I'm feeling."

"I like it!" She beamed at me.

I laughed at her simplicity. "Thanks."

"Now, that you're feeling better. Let's get back to that search."

"Oh right." I looked around me, taking in the bustling pedestrians. Very few people were dressed casually, leaving me to wonder if they had the day off. I bit my lip and glanced down at the sidewalk. "What is the last detail you can remember?"

"I was in a car."

I scratched under my chin. Her answer didn't narrow our options.

"Your mother's car?"

"Yeah."

"Do you remember being in a park, a city street, a back road, or anything."

"No," the girl replied. "I was sleeping." Her chain rattled from next to me. Peering at her through my long hair, I saw her glancing up at the sky. Her face was scrunched up.

"I'm sorry," I said, breaking the silence between us.

The girl's eyes got watery again. I fisted my hands at my sides.

"We're going to walk the streets and see if you see any other ghosts."

Her head whipped to me. "Really?"

"It's a good start."

She smiled and then her lips tugged into a straight line. "Can't you see the other spirits too?"

I began walking while keeping my head down so that way if my mouth moved, my long hair would conceal me. "Normally, I can't."

"But you saw me."

"I can't explain how." I raised my hand to her direction. "You're an exception."

"If you stop walking and look around you, do you think you will see them."

"No."

"Why don't you give it a try?"

"Because I rather not."

There was a brief pause. I stopped mid-step and glanced up. The little spirit wasn't next to me. My head turned to the side.

"Take a good look," she said from behind me.

Turning to her, I sighed and put my hands on my hips.

"Come on. Aren't you curious?"

I brought a hand up to my face, my forefinger and thumb pinching the tender skin between my eyebrows. "Not really."

"Why?"

"I prefer not see them. The ghosts." I was slightly shaking my head.

"Then how are you going to help me find my mom?"

"I was hoping you recognize her by some stroke of a miracle or we ask for help."

The ghost floated past me. Her chain rattled. For some reason a person in chains popped in my mind.

"You're not trying to help me."

"I'm out here, aren't I?" I called out to her. Immediately being on the receiving end of some strange looks, I just began following the girl.

"Yeah, but your heart is not set on helping me."

This girl couldn't be more spot on. I wanted to be at home doing homework, preparing a meal for my dad and me, and perhaps end the night with watching a television show or reading a book. I just wanted to live a normal life.

"Let's go back."

I should be happy. She was giving in but I felt guilty.

"No," I said to her. "We're going to look for your mom." I walked past her, not caring if she tagged along. I raised my chin, my fingers brushing dark strands of hair to the side of my face. For the first time I paid attention and I was astonished what I saw. The pedestrians moving around me weren't all human. The spirits glided with the real people, blending into the world around them.

"I..." I was at lost for words.

"You can see them."

"Yes."

She smiled. "Then let's go." She grabbed my hand, the sensation feeling almost real. Somehow, she pulled me down the street leading me to I had no idea where. At least, I was keeping my end of the bargain. I was helping her to find her mother.

OoO

The moment I got home, a jitteriness overtook me. I ran into the kitchen, throwing on the faucet. Grabbing a clean glass from one of the cupboards, I filled it.

"What's wrong?" the spirit asked me. Not paying any heed, I turned off the water and moved to table.

"Where is it?" I asked myself. My hands felt all over the table while knocking over some objects to the floor.

"Where is what?"

My hands and legs started to tremble. I could feel a surge of pain in my head. I paused, my hands splaying on the table, my body leaning over while I caught myself.

The spirit looked troubled. "Seriously, what's wrong?"

"I don't know. My meds."

"Where are they?" she asked me.

"Normally, on the table." I could barely say the words and before I knew what was happening, I was lying floor in fetal position. Pain racket my abdomen.

I curled more into myself as I tried to breathe through the pain. Tears leaked from my eyes.

I could hear her voice, her movements, and other things falling to the floor. I didn't know how much time pass me by but the next thing I felt was someone picking me off the ground and dashing outside. The cool air was a shock into my lungs but welcoming to my fevered skin. Then bright lights flooded my vision and the coolness vanished.

"You're going to be okay," a masculine voice whispered by my ear. There was a slight concern in his tone. Hisashi.

I didn't reply back. I just curled in the warmth that he offered.

"Did you see them, Aiko? The little demons?" he questioned me.

Again, I didn't say anything.

"This is important."

With a shift of my head from his chest to his shoulder, I whispered, "No."

"Good."

"Mr. Kaya, I need you to put your daughter on this bed," another male voice said from the distance.

"Oh, Dr. Kurosaki. Thank you!" my father replied. He sounded relieved as he deposited me on something soft. I began shaking my head, my arms wrapped around his neck tightly.

"Aiko, honey, you have to let go."

I shook my head harder.

"Honey, you need your meds. For now they're going to calm you down."

I hung on to him for all I was worth.

"Please, Aiko."

Other hands grasped my arms. I didn't have energy in me to fight anymore. I let go of my father.

Their voices faded away as I closed my eyes and let the darkness blanket me.

OoO

When I became aware of my surroundings, my eyes landed on orange. Everything else became clear. Ichigo was sitting in a chair next to me. He rested his elbows on his thighs. His chin was planted on his hands. I glanced around the room, taking the other freshly made beds, the white paint, the open space. Dad wasn't around.

"Kurosaki," I whispered the guy's name. I winced hearing the roughness in my tone.

"Here is some water," he said as he handed me a glass from one of the stand tables next to me.

I put the glass to my lips and greedily sucked the moisture until the liquid went down the wrong part in my throat. Ichigo took the glass from my hands. I coughed a lot, trying to clear my esophagus.

"That hurts." The fact that I could clearly feel pain had me wondering if they gave me my meds. Even my whole body hurt.

"Are you okay?" he asked me.

I was the one who should be asking him that same question. Instead, I settled for nodding my head.

"We were about to close up for the night when your father rushed you in here. Does that happen often in the other places?"

"If you mean ending up in a clinic bed, no?" I answered him. "This is the place I try my best to stay away from."

He gave me a weird look.

"No offense, I don't like hospitals or anything that reminds me of it," I replied. I didn't go into much details but after being a mental patient for some time, I never wanted to return to a hospital.

"I have no choice but to be in this clinic. My father owns it and my sisters help him from time-to-time," Ichigo said, trying his best to make me feel comfortable.

I smiled at him until I realized something. "What time is it?"

"A little before seven," He answered while glancing at his wristwatch.

"Oh no, we have school." I pulled away the covers and swung my legs over the side of the bed. The orange-haired teenager was already standing in front of me, his hands were held in the air.

"Is getting up a good idea?"

"I can walk." To emphasize my point, I landed on both my feet and made a step. He caught me as I was about to fall down.

"I think you should rest."

"No." I liked school. The idea of missing a day, especially for not being extremely sick felt wrong. "I'm going to school."

"When you can barely walk."

"I'll find a way," I snapped at him. I was leaning too much against him until I could feel the hardness of his chest beneath my hands. I could smell the scent of his aftershave, feel his warm breath on the crown of my head. My eyes widened and then I was pushing him away from me. My body was falling backward and my bottom hit the ground. I yelped from the sudden impact.

"Ouch," I heard. He was also sprawled on the floor, not so far away from me. "Why did you do that?"

"Because you were standing too close for comfort."

Ichigo cheeks reddened. My cheeks also heated. I turned away from him. Not so successfully, I rose to my feet. The bed I occupied provided me assistance.

"Look, right now really might not be a good idea to go to school." He was already standing, looking at my poor attempt to stay on my feet.

"I can make it to school. Besides, I'll spend the day mostly sitting down." It was the truth. The only time I got up was during break and for gym.

Before he could say anything else, his father walked up to my bed. "Good to see you Kaya." He called me by my last name. "You father was really worried but I assured him you're in great hands."

"He went to work," I stated.

"Yes." He offloaded a whole bunch of items on the table next to me. A lot of the items had to do with his profession, much of it I couldn't recognize. What I did notice was that he opened a bottle. "Give me your hand."

I did as he instructed. He held the little container over my hand and shook it until two pills fell onto the appendage. "You're only taking these until your father can pick up your prescription from the pharmacy."

My eyebrows tugged together as I eyed the pills.

"Ichigo, can you give us some privacy?" The orange-headed teenager nodded his head and left us. Still eyeing the pills, I heard Dr. Kurosaki inhale a deep breath.

After some time, he said, "Aren't you going to take them?"

My head raised to him. "Are these the same prescribed drugs?"

A smile curved on his aged face. To think his father was once a captain, when he was right before me in human form, one would never believe it.

"No."

"What?" I blinked at him.

"These pills are a stronger dose."

I blinked again. "Are you..."

"I'm aware of your past. Your father, Mr. Kaya, informed me about everything." So much for our secret being kept. It was probably time for us to pack our things and head to the next city. "I'm sorry you had a rough past."

My hand tightened into a fist, the meds were secured.

"I know won't believe me but you're not alone."

"What do you know about me?" I shot at him.

He didn't look fazed by my loss of reaction. So I continued. "My dad may have told you a thing or two, but still you know nothing. Not of our suffering or me trying to cope with my mental whatever."

"You're special," he told me out of the blue.

My mouth fell open, all thought fading from my mind.

"And your father and you need an ally." What more could I say to him for that? "The pills in your hand have a stronger dose of risperidone. They should last you the whole day."

I simply nodded my head. I put the tablets in my mouth and took the glass of water from the bedside table. I downed the water and tablets.

"Good. You're going to be okay," he said with a smile.

"Thank you." I bowed to him.

"Don't worry." The seriousness melted on his face as he winked at me. "Besides, I don't want you to keep my son waiting."

I almost deadpanned. He got the glass from my hand and walked by me, leaving me alone. Only when he wasn't in sight and his son returned to where I was standing, I realized the pain in my body had subsided. I blinked.

"Are you coming, Kaya?"

"Aiko," I said.

"What?"

"My first name is Aiko."

Sheepishly, he rubbed the back of his head with a hand. "Ichigo."

"I know."

His eyed me speculatively. "You're coming right? You look well enough to go to school."

"I am." I walked to him, not feeling any discomfort in my body. The pills so far began taking an effect. Another way to test them was if I could still see apparitions.

"I'm going to change into my school uniform and grab my books from home."

"I'll wait for you outside." It seemed like Ichigo and I were going to attend school together, even if it was the last thing I wanted to do with him.

"You don't have to."

"I don't mind. And my dad won't stop ranting away if I let you walk to school on your own," he added.

We made our way out of the clinic. I crossed the street to get to my house and he went into his to get his school stuff. The next time we met, we were outside my home and we went to school together.

* * *

 **A/N:** I can't apologize enough for not updating sooner. School, it's been keeping me busy. I hope you enjoyed reading. Thank you all so much for your support and please, leave a review if you like what you've read. :)


End file.
